History 380: U.S. Environmental Politics Since 1900
Course Meetings: T R F 10:00-10:50 CCC 224
Office Hours: T R 12-2pm 473 CCC
UWSP – History Department
Dr. Neil Prendergast
nprender@uwsp.edu
Not too long ago, an environmental activist from New Mexico declared that “Smokey Bear is a white racist pig.”
Smokey Bear? When I was a kid, I learned that Smokey Bear helped save forests from burning down. I even saved a
dollar from my allowance to get into some kind of Smokey Bear club, a membership that came with a patch that
gave me great pride. I was helping nature. I was doing a good thing. The world, of course, is not as simple as the
way I perceived it when I sent away for my patch.
Smokey Bear came to be in 1944, when the Forest Service decided it needed an educational campaign to convince
Americans that they should do all they could to prevent forest fires. As the slogan went, Only you can prevent forest fires!
Clearly, though, not every American has agreed. In New Mexico, there has long been conflict over whether or not
fires were good or bad for the forest. For millennia, fire had been a useful tool that Native people used to
regenerate deer habitat. In the early 1900s, the Forest Service attempted to stamp out every fire on national forest
land. However, in New Mexico, many small farmers (many of whom were Native or Hispanic) saw this policy as
one more way the federal government attempted to control land use, much to the detriment of traditional hunting.
So why did one New Mexican activist declare Smokey Bear was a “white racist pig?” Even a brief understanding of
the state’s history shows that land management decisions are wrapped up in the history of one group’s power over
another. The quote also strongly suggests that race and other social issues play important roles in environmental
politics. Clearly, I had no idea how controversial Smokey Bear was when I was eight years old.
This semester, our goal is to understand why Americans fight about nature. While we won’t focus on Smokey Bear,
we will look closely at a series of important case studies in the history of American environmentalism. It’s
important to make a critical distinction here, by the way. This class is not an indoctrination into environmentalism.
It’s a careful study of how conflict occurs when Americans wrest a living from nature. In each case study, we’ll ask
the same question, our guiding question for the semester:
Why do Americans fight about nature?
As we turn this question over in case study after case study, you will begin to think deeply about the nature of
conflict. Cultural assumptions, the use of science, property rights, and much else will come under our magnifying
glass. By the end of the semester, you’ll be able to look at an environmental conflict, sort out the arguments, and
evaluate what’s at stake. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is an important skill.
Enduring Understandings:
Conflicts over nature have cultural, political, economic, and ecological causes.
Environmentalism has had a varied membership and an assortment of goals in American history.
Learning Outcomes: After taking this course, students will be able to:
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describe the history of the environmental movement, including its major events and classic texts.
evaluate arguments in an environmental conflict.
explain how environmental conflicts happen.
identify the ways the past shapes a current environmental conflict.
Course Structure: Since our goal is to understand conflict, I designed our tasks to make us better and better at that.
Take a quick look at any of our units. Each one has a guiding question. To answer these questions, each unit has us
traveling a path.
Note how the units tend to begin with a lecture, move to a set of primary sources to be discussed in small groups,
then turn to a secondary source to focus a classwide discussion, transition into a paper workshop, and then finish
with another classwide discussion, this time about your papers.
This pattern orients us with a big picture, lets us dive into the nitty gritty of a conflict, assess the argument of
someone examining the whole conflict, and forces us to evaluate the conflict ourselves, using writing and discussion
as our tools. Examining conflict this way moves us from merely remembering facts to evaluating why people fight
about nature. Completing this pattern again and again, unit after unit, makes this high-order thinking second nature.
History as Laboratory: You might reasonably wonder why we
should use history to understand the nature of conflict. After all, there
seems to be plenty of conflict happening today that we could study.
(In fact, we’ll end the course with a present-day debate: mining
Wisconsin sand to use in hydraulic fracturing.) There are at least three
good reasons.
First, we tend to have less at stake in past events, which makes a
critical distance more possible, at least in some occasions.
Second, since historical events are referenced routinely by people
engaged in environmental affairs today, understanding key conflicts from
the past will help you speak the language today.
Third, the actual outcomes of historical events created the political, legal, cultural, and ecological terrain we live in
today, so studying them will let you know why present-day debates have the shape they have.
Office Hours: You are welcome to visit me in my office.
I set aside office hours so that I have the chance to talk
with students one-on-one. During that time (TR 12-2pm
473 CCC), I do not have any other commitments. My only
commitment is to speak with my students.
To visit me during office hours you do not need an
appointment. We can chat about anything going on in the
course, from content to class dynamics. They are an
especially good time to check in if you missed class. (Office
hours are not in any way, shape, or form akin to a visit to
the principal’s office in high school!) If you have class or
work during my office hours, I am happy to make an
appointment so that we can still speak. Just email me.
Readings: We're taking an interesting approach this semester, in terms of the readings. We're focusing the first
three units on a major book from the period. By giving close attention to long selections from Aldo Leopold's A
Sand County Almanac, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, and John McPhee's Encounters with the Archdruid,
you will walk away from this course able to discuss key works in American environmentalism. (These are available
for purchase at the university bookstore.)
To truly understand these books, we need to understand their historical moment. What were the authors
responding to? Why did they pick particular strategies to appeal to readers in 1954, 1962, or 1975? How did the
public receive the authors' messages, then and in later years? To even begin answering these questions, we need a
basic history of the environmental movement. For that we're reading a good, straightforward book called First
Along the River. I think you'll like this one because it lays out the key events of the environmental movement
clearly and in short chapters. (This book is text rental.)
Along the way, we will also read some academic articles, although not usually more than one a week. I try to pick
the most readable of these. They're a good addition to our inquiry because they offer serious depth on important
topics--from the public reaction to Silent Spring to the importance of evangelical Christianity to environmental
activism. Academic articles are also excellent for modeling how to make an argument as well as possible, so we will
use them for our goal of making crafty arguments. (These readings will be available via D2L.)
When we do take that close look at a topic, we will also look at sources from that particular time, written by people
actually involved in an historic conflict. Expect to read these primary sources every week. On occasion, I will not
give you pdf’s of primary sources, but will give you a list of websites to locate sources useful to our discussion.
(Primary source pdf’s and links will be on D2L, too.)
Finally, we have one last reading: a new book called Living Through the End of Nature. We'll read long
selections from this one after Thanksgiving. It briefly examines the environmental movement's history (we can see
if his history is as good as the one we put together in the classroom during the semester!), but really focuses on how
environmentalism can change its way of framing problems, so that it can become more successful in achieving its
goals. We do not have to be rooting for environmentalism to make this book worthwhile or interesting. Coming at
the end of a semester inquiry, it's useful to us as a statement about where environmentalism is now. If we
understand the author's discussion, then we've made ourselves conversant in the twentieth-century public discussion
about Americans and nature. If we can argue with him a bit, then we've started to develop our own ideas about the
history of environmental politics. Place at the end of the semester, therefore, this book will be very satisfying...and
generate some good class discussion. (This is also available for purchase at the university bookstore.)
These readings probably sound like a lot of work. On the one hand, they are. This class is an upper-level course in a
reading intensive discipline. On top of that, we have some important, complicated things to understand, which
simply takes some reading to accomplish. On the other hand, all of these readings are spread out over 15 weeks.
Most weeks we will read about 60-80 pages. Sometimes we will divide up readings across the class to help break up
the books. Other times, we will split the class into different reading groups for the academic articles--which is a nice
way to spark discussion, not just make the reading load reasonable. Finally, I have taken special care to select works
that are as readable as possible. All in all, if you take a serious approach to the reading, you will find it worthwhile
and not unreasonably taxing on your schedule.
Grading: 60 points for Papers [six at ten points each] + 20 points for Discussion Posts [ten at two points each]
+ 20 points for Teamwork. Letter grades for the semester follow the typical pattern:
A 93-100
B+ 87-89
C+ 77-79
D+ 67-69
A- 90-92
B 83-86
C
D
B- 80-82
C- 70-72
73-76
F 59 and below
60-66
Papers: As you will see on the schedule, papers are due on Thursday evenings at 9pm on D2L. (You must also
bring a hard copy to class the next day.) You will notice, too, that the day after a paper is due, the readings for that
day’s class meeting are “Student Essays.” That’s right: you will be reading each other’s work. For each of these
occasions, you must read five of your colleagues’ essays. The reason for this requirement is simple. Writing is
communicating and you need a group of people to communicate with to make your writing worthwhile.
Furthermore, in this upper-level course, discussion is a primary way for us to learn. Discussion, of course, is the
sharing of ideas. Allowing other students to read your written work is simply an element of discussion—one, in fact,
that lets you form your ideas with more time and reflection than classroom conversation typically allows.
I think you will see that as the semester develops, this
sharing of papers will lead to better, more meaningful,
and more enjoyable classroom discussions.
I realize that for some folks the act of sharing written
work is terrifying. If that sounds like you, I’m going to
ask you to take a leap of faith and trust in the decency of
your classmates to treat every class members’ thoughts
with respect. In my short time in Wisconsin, I have
found such decency to be the norm. I also take it as my
responsibility in the classroom to foster a learning
culture in which ideas flow freely, without fear of
disrespect.
For each unit, I will make available a full paper description complete with rubric, but just so you can see what lies
ahead, here are the questions for each paper:
Conservation Paper: Why did Americans disagree about conservation?
Rise of Environmentalism Paper: Why was Silent Spring controversial when it was published in 1962?
Environmentalism Established Paper: How did ‘participatory democracy’ change environmental debates?
Challenge to Environmentalism Paper: Why did environmentalism become a partisan issue in the 1980s?
Evaluating the Sand Mining Debate Paper: On what basis do the parties in conflict disagree?
Lasting Questions Paper: What questions from the history of environmentalism are most important?
Discussion Posts: Please note that the deadline for these posts is 9pm and that your colleagues’ posts are required
reading for the next day’s class meeting. I chose 9pm as a deadline as a compromise for two reasons: 1) on the one
hand, it gives a good deal of time to complete the reading and reflect enough to write a short, though thoughtful
response to the discussion prompt; 2) on the other hand, it still leaves time for us to read each other’s responses
before retiring for the evening or in the morning. After the first few weeks, we’ll discuss the 9pm deadline as a
group.
Teamwork: Everyone in this class has been on a team before, whether an athletic team or a board game team.
Teams work well when they pull their members together to achieve a common goal. Often, they foster greater
individual accomplishment than what one could achieve on his or her own. This effect is called synergy. Since we all
want to do well in this class, let’s create some synergy for ourselves by thinking of our small, discussion-oriented
class as a team.
Listening to each other, asking thoughtful questions of
each other, and offering basic respect are obvious ways
to become an intellectual team. I encourage you to
pursue them! But being prepared in all the normal ways
is also an important part of becoming a team. Showing
up to class with the readings finished, posting thoughtful
discussion comments, and creating your own questions
and opinions are all individual efforts that show others
you care and that they should care, too.
(The unfortunate flip side is that when you show up
unprepared, the prepared students feel as though they’ve
wasted their time. They start to prepare less and the bar
in the class lowers and lowers until class meetings are
just not challenging, fun, or interesting anymore.)
Twice in the semester I will ask you to rate your own teamwork. You’ll fill out a brief questionnaire and submit it to
D2L. I will use these questionnaires when I determine your teamwork grade for the semester. Here is the rubric for
the teamwork grade:
“A” Teamwork (18-20 points): Students in this category miss class rarely and only for the best reasons. They attend
with the reading done every time and have something reflective to say about the reading. Their discussion posts
push the class conversation forward. In the classroom, these students do not necessarily contribute the most or
have the cleverest comments, but are dependable contributors, engage their classmates, and show enthusiasm for
discussion.
“B” Teamwork (16-18 points): Students in this category are similar to the ones above, but are not as regular in their
contributions. They might complete the readings, but have little to offer about them. They might submit discussion
posts, but not be interested in moving the conversation forward. In the classroom, they might contribute, engage
their classmates, and show enthusiasm, but do so unevenly across class meetings.
“C” Teamwork (14-16 points): Students in this category might have some highlights over the semester and even
some consistency in some aspects of teamwork, but fall short of consistent contributions in every category
throughout the semester.
“D” Teamwork (12-14 points): Students in this category contribute little to the class discussion.
Course Policies: During the class, cell phones and other electronic devices are prohibited. If you are a parent or
are otherwise obligated to be available to your family via cell phone, then please discuss that situation with me, so I
know that you have a good reason for keeping your phone turned on.
The prohibition of electronics also extends to laptop computers (unless approved by the Disability Services Office).
While laptops are great aides in studying, the focus in class is on class, not the computer screen. Further, the ability
to take notes longhand is actually an important skill to develop, one that will be useful in any career you choose. If
you do prefer to have your notes in a computer file, you will find that typing them from your handwritten notes will
aid you greatly in digesting the material.
For information on plagiarism, consult http://www.uwsp.edu/centers/rights. See Chapter 14, Student Academic
Standards and Disciplinary Procedures, pages 5 -10, for the disciplinary possibilities if you are caught cheating. As an
instructor deeply concerned with fairness in the classroom, I pursue each and every case of plagiarism and cheating.
Please note that turnitin.com is used for the essay assignments.
Life Happens: I understand you have a life outside this
class. I understand that life might make it difficult to
complete some assignments, attend class, or simply to
do well. I do my best to be flexible because I know
those circumstances are out of your control and my
control. I’m on your team. I also know that some real
learning has to take place in this class. You will have
more opportunity in life if you understand history, read
critically, and write well. This class has to be one of your
priorities. I do my best to be flexible, but I have to
adhere to some standards. If something comes up, let’s
talk.
Equity of Educational Access: If you have a learning or physical challenge which requires classroom
accommodation, please contact the UWSP Disability Services office with your documentation as early as possible in
the semester. They will then notify me, in a confidential memo, of the accommodations that will facilitate your
success in the course. Disability Services Office, 103 Student Services Center, Voice: (715) 346-3365, TTY: (715)
346-3362, http://www.uwsp.edu/special/disability/studentinfo.htm.
Note: The syllabus is a general plan for the course. Deviations announced in class may be necessary.
Course Contacts:
Name
Email
Why the History of Environmentalism Matters…Even If You Are Not an Environmentalist
Week 1
Tuesday Introduction
Wednesday Thursday Discussion
Friday Lecture
9/4-9/7
Discussion
Reading: Readings on Conflict
Reading: Discover the Earth Day
Post 9pm
Reading: Discussion Posts
Story www.nelsonearthday.net
Reading: Beyond Earth Day
Conservation’s Beginnings
Week 2
Tuesday Lecture
Wednesday Thursday Small Groups
Friday Small Groups
9/11-9/14
Reading: FAR, Chapter Five
Discussion
Reading: Sand County, Part II
Reading: Perspectives on Wildlife
Post 9pm
Reading: Discussion Posts
Conservation (D2L)
Week 3
Tuesday Discussion
Wednesday Thursday Paper Workshop
Friday Discussion
9/18-9/21
Reading: Raiding Devils (D2L)
Paper Due 9pm D2L
Reading: Five Student Essays
The Limits of Conservation and the Rise of Environmentalism
Week 4
Tuesday Lecture
Wednesday Thursday Small Groups
9/25-9/28
Reading: Introduction by Linda Discussion
Reading: The Storm over Silent
Lear and Chapters 3, 8, 12, 14, Post 9pm
Spring (D2L)
and 17 in Silent Spring.
Reading: Discussion Posts
Reading: FAR, Chapter 6
Discussion Post 9pm
Week 5
Tuesday Discussion
Wednesday Thursday Paper Workshop
10/2-10/5
Reading: Woman vs. Man vs.
Paper Due 9pm D2L
Bugs (D2L)
Environmentalism Matures: Citizen Action and Regulation
Week 6
Tuesday Lecture
Wednesday Thursday Discussion
10/9-10/12
Reading: FAR, Chapter 7
Discussion
Reading: Good Earth
Post 9pm
Reading: Discussion Posts
Possible Evening Talk
Week 7
Tuesday Lecture
Wednesday Thursday Small Groups
10/16-10/19 Reading: NIMBY to Civil
Discussion
Reading: Love Canal (D2L)
Rights (D2L)
Post 9pm
Reading: Discussion Posts
Discussion Post 9pm
Week 8
Tuesday Discussion
Wednesday Thursday Paper Workshop
10/23-10/26 Reading:Earthly Vision (D2L)
Paper Due 9pm D2L
The Challenge to Environmentalism
Week 9
Tuesday Lecture
10/30-11/2
Reading: FAR, Chapter 8
Week 10
11/6-11/9
Tuesday Small Groups
Reading: Encounters, Ch. 3
Week 11
11/13-11/16
Tuesday Discussion
Reading: Wilderness (D2L)
Week 12
11/20
Tuesday TBA
Wednesday Thursday Small Groups
Reading: ANWR (D2L)
Discussion Post 9pm
Wednesday Thursday Small Groups
Reading: Glen Canyon (D2L)
Discussion Post 9pm
Wednesday Thursday Paper Workshop
Paper Due 6pm D2L
Using History to Think About the Future: Evaluating Debates
Week 13
Tuesday Lecture
Wednesday Thursday Discussion
11/27-11/30 Reading: First Along, Ch.9-10
Reading: Living Through, Ch.
Self-Assessment 10pm D2L
1,7,8
Discussion Post 9pm
Week 14
Tuesday Discussion
Wednesday Thursday Discussion
12/4-12/7
Reading: Sand Mining TBA
Reading: Sand Mining TBA
Week 15
Tuesday Paper Workshop
Wednesday Thursday Discussion
12/11-12/14 Paper Due 6pm D2L
Five Student Essays
Enduring Understandings, Lasting Questions
Final Exam
Paper Due 9am D2L – Meet in 224 CCC
Friday Discussion
Reading: CNRA (D2L)
Reading: Sandhill (D2L)
Reading: Discussion Posts
Possible Optional Field Trip
Friday Discussion
Reading: Five Student Essays
Self-Assessment 10pm D2L
Friday Small Groups
Reading: Earth Year (D2L)
Friday Small Groups
Reading: Love Canal II (D2L)
Reading: Discussion Posts
Friday Discussion
Reading: Five Student Essays
Friday Discussion
Reading: ANWR II (D2L)
Reading: Discussion Posts
Friday Discussion
Reading: Glen Canyon II (D2L)
Reading: Discussion Posts
Friday Discussion
Reading: Five Student Essays
Friday Discussion
Reading: Sand Mining TBA
Reading: Environmental Dilemma
(D2L)
Friday Discussion
Reading: Sand Mining TBA
Friday Discuss Final Essay